


Naming

by shelllessturtle



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Family, Fluff, Gen, vaguely hurt/comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-12-02
Updated: 2014-12-02
Packaged: 2018-02-27 22:13:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 631
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2708612
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shelllessturtle/pseuds/shelllessturtle
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Henry knows that names are important, and there are some members of his family he doesn't have proper names for.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Naming

He slid into their booth, across the table from them, while people were still gathering for the naming ceremony. There were tears in his eyes, probably blurring his vision, and it suddenly occurred to Belle that Henry had Rumplestiltskin’s eyes.

“Mr. Gold?” the boy said in a soft voice.

“What can I do for you, Henry?” Rumple asked gently.

“I—I’ve been meaning to ask since we found my dad.” Henry paused and scrubbed at his eyes. Belle felt Rumple’s fingers tighten around hers, and she squeezed back. Henry took a deep breath and continued, “What should I call you?” He glanced at Belle. “Both of you.”

Rumplestiltskin froze next to her, and she released his hand to reach down and stroke his thigh, encouraging, comforting. She could read everything in Henry’s wet eyes, everything an eleven-year-old boy couldn’t or wouldn’t express.

He had lost his father, and Belle knew how Rumplestiltskin would see it. Another boy in his family, growing up fatherless. Yes, Henry had two mothers, but sometimes a boy needs a man. Fortunately, Belle thought with a shadow of a smile, Henry had two loving and devoted grandfathers.

“We never did work that out, did we?” Rumplestiltskin replied.

Henry shook his head. “And it might be easier if I had a different name for you and for Gramps.” He looked a little shy, and Belle’s heart went out to him.

Rumplestiltskin had told Belle that his relationship with Henry had always been a little different than any of his other relationships with Storybrooke’s citizens. Rumple had always been willing to indulge the boy more than he had anyone else, and Henry had taken the old pawnbroker’s humor in stride in a way only Belle had ever done before. Still, they hadn’t been incredibly close before learning of their blood relation, and Belle could tell that Henry wanted any connection to his father he could have. They were Neal’s only remaining blood relatives, and she knew that the relationship would be as important for grandfather as it would be for grandson.

“Why don’t we go with ‘Grandfather’?” Rumplestiltskin suggested.

Henry thought for a moment, then nodded decisively. “It fits,” he said, then eager brown eyes were turned to Belle, and he gazed at her expectantly.

“’Belle’ works,” she said tentatively.

Henry looked slightly crestfallen. “But you’re Grandfather’s—” and matching shy smiles crept across his and Rumple’s faces at that, “—True Love. You’re family, and I should have a name for you. Names are important.” He looked pleadingly at Rumplestiltskin, wordlessly begging for assistance.

“He’s right, sweetheart,” Rumple said. “Names _are_ important.”

Belle stifled a smile. She had enough trouble saying no to one pair of pleading brown eyes; how could she deny two of them? “Well, I’m not exactly your grandmother, so what about ‘Aunt Belle’?”

Henry’s face lit up, and he beamed at her. “Auntie,” he declared happily. Then he turned to Rumplestiltskin. “And Grandfather.” He slid out of the booth and came around the table to hug both of them.

Belle felt a strange new kind of peace settle over both herself and Rumplestiltskin as they were implicitly accepted into this very special boy’s family. So many people were still afraid of and angry with Rumple, and being part of Henry’s family would go a long way towards fixing that. Belle also knew that both Henry and Rumplestiltskin would heal through sharing their experiences with Neal.

Of course, Belle could use some healing, too; she had gotten quite close to Neal in the time between Rumple’s death and resurrection. As the thought crossed her mind, she felt tears welling in her own eyes, and she buried her face in Rumple’s shoulder and pulled Henry a little closer.

Yes, naming each other as family would help all involved.


End file.
